and till the reign of Queen Tamar, Davids great grand-daughter in 13-th century Georgia was one of the strongest countries in Asia minor


The Bagrationi family had reigned in Georgia for ten centuries (786 - 1810). They had a right to enter Jerusalem on a horseback. Many names of glorious and loyal Kings of Georgia are preserved in the history of georgia. Some of them are adorned by the superlative epithets,while six Kings and two Queens had been canonized. e.g. Queen
	Ketevan Bagrationi - the mother of Teimuraz I, King of Georgia, daughter of Mukhran Batoni, was tortured to death in Iranian town of Shiraz, by the order of Shah Abbaz for the refusal to change her faith. According to different versions, parts of Ketevan's remains are held together with the remains of Iozid Dagruz in the black sarcophagus which is placed at the head column of the monastery. On the walls of Dagzas Monastery in Lisbon, there is a mozaic, describing the scenes of work of Portuguese missioners in Iran. Among these scenes there are some dedicated to Ketevan's adoption of Catolisizm,
her tortures and how her remains were sent to Teimuraz with the help of Father Ambrozio De Santo. Georgia, which had been divided in Kingdoms was united in 1091 in the reign of King Bagrat III. Before the reign of King David the Builder, the Georgian Kings had a title of Kurapalat (which was given by Byzantine Emperors to the rulers of the countries).

David the Builder refused from those titles. By this refusal he emphasized the right of the Georgian Kings to make independent decisions in internal and foreign affairs of Georgia. Since David the Builder, there was a description of "the King of the Abkhaz, Georgians Rans, Kakhs, Armenians, Shirvanshas, and Shahanshas. From the beginning of XII century, during the reign of David the Builder and till the reign of Queen Tamar, Davids great grand-daughter in 13-th century Georgia was one of the strongest countries in Asia minor. Its borders spread from Nikophsia to Darubanda and from Ovsetia to Aregan. There appears a new title among the titles of the Georgian Kings. It is "the Sword of Messiah". On the bronze coin of David the Builder there is an inscription "King of Kings, King David, the Sword of Messiah"- with this inscription the King Bagrationi stresses hat he acts on behalf of God tand to act

against him means to act against God. Since then if someone is against the King, blessed by God, he betrays his nation as well as God. The same is confirmed by Grigol Khantlidze, when he writes that the Lord appointed Kings to rule the country. Thus Kings were the rulers according "the will of God". The same point is reflected in the title, which says: "by the will of God, the King of Abkhazs, Georgians, Rans, Kakhs and Armenians".

This is the period when Byzantine retreats because of Turk-Seldjuk invasions, but it helps Georgia to fight against its enemies and sets Transcaucusus free. Georgia becomes the strongest among Eastern Christian countries and this gives the right to Kings of Georgia to call themselves "Sword of Messiah".

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